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International cooperation

Estonia is a member of such international organisations as UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM, ICOM and DOCOMOMO.

UNESCO and Estonia

In the years 2010-2013, Estonia was a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This committee manages a list that contains the world’s cultural and natural objects that are significant from the point of view of the cultural and natural heritage of all of humanity. The Estonian team consisted of heritage conservation and environmental protection experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of the Environment.

Estonia participates actively in the work of the following organisations:

Monitoring Group on Cultural Heritage in the Baltic Sea States – in 2014–2015 Estonia serves as the Presidency of this working group.

ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) – private association of experts, which operates under the supervision of UNESCO; their purpose is to deal with immovable monuments at a state and international level.

ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)

Europa Nostra – pan-European association of voluntary heritage conservation organisations, Estonia is represented by the Estonian Heritage Conservation Society. Europa Nostra awards a very prestigious annual prize to praise the best restoration works, educational projects, and so on. Estonia has also managed to win some of the Europa Nostra heritage conservation awards. The last victory was in 2013, when we won the grand prix in conservation for the restoration of hangars in the Seaplane Harbour.

DOCOMOMO (Working Party for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) – an international network to record and protect 20th-century architecture.

EAC (Europae Archaeologiae Consilium) – an international organisation to unite the state institutions (authorities, inspectorates, agencies, and directorates) of European countries, which handle the protection of archaeological heritage.